"What did you think was going to happen?" Lakers star Kobe Bryant said. "He's a great player. He's had a couple of tough games. He wasn't going to come out here and roll over. I saw this coming."

Next, consider Robin Lopez, who played nearly 30 minutes and may have changed the complexion of the series. He played mean, but he played cool. He made incidental (cough, cough) contact with Derek Fisher, making the Lakers' point guard flush with rage. He poured in 20 points and rarely seemed to break a sweat.

By far, this was the Suns' biggest game of the season. And at one point in the second half, Lopez started messing with Bill Cartwright's tie during a timeout, and the playfulness seemed to shock the Suns assistant coach.

"He brings us a physical nature that we don't really have," Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said. "That's why we drafted him. He's a little nasty. And it's pretty rare for 7-footers to be that nasty."

Lopez's performance came at a crucial time, especially given the struggles of the backup center. Once again, Frye looked skittish and uncomfortable, missing every field goal he attempted. After barking at Frye to quit looking at the bench, Suns coach Alvin Gentry tried his best to rescue his player, selecting Frye to shoot the free throw after a Lakers' technical foul, even though Leandro Barbosa was the percentage play.

It was the only shot Frye made all evening before Gentry pulled the plug.

"We've tried it a few times, and to be honest, in practice the other day, it was the worst it's ever been," Gentry said. "It really was. I got really upset because I didn't think it was very good at all."

The Lakers still have the advantage, but there's suddenly a new element of doubt in the equation. Their shooters weren't so comfortable away from Staples Center. Lamar Odom went back to sleep, throwing up a garbage performance in Game 3. And after the game, Lakers coach Phil Jackson admitted it might be time to shelve starting center Andrew Bynum, who is suffering from knee issues and played less than eight minutes.

It made for a wonderful night in the Valley, and an interesting shift in momentum. And when the game was over, happy players skipped to the locker room, liberated from the frustration of two emasculating losses in LA. Late in the game, Nash had taken an elbow on the nose, heard a crack and simply pushed it back in place.

He doesn't think it's broken, merely rearranged.

Finally, the Suns have joined the fight and a series in progress. And after the biggest win of the season, they have their chance.